Reenforced tank



Junfezs, 1937. RS ADOUGHER'TY A2,@55685 REENFORCED TANK Filed Sept. l5, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 29, 1937 R. s. A. DOUGHERTY 2,085,085

REENFORCED'TANK Filed Sept. 13, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented `Furie 29, 193? UNETED STAT ATENT OFFICE REENFORCED TANK Pennsylvania Application September 13, 1933, Serial No. 689,199

7 Claims.

My invention relates to storage tanks for storing liquids, such as oil, and more particularly to such storage tanks wherein it is required, or it is found desirable or necessary, to provide supporting strength which is not inherent in the tank structure itself. Such tanks may be those in which due to unusual conditions of convenience, expediency, or matters of cost, the plates of which the tank isl constructed are thinner than is .10 safe under the hydrostatic pressures to which the tank may be subjected when in use; or the tank, originally seli`-supporting, through erosion or other destructive forces may have become so weakened as vto require reenforcing in order to be safely continued in use. It is the particular object of my invention to provide suitable means for such reenforcing which will be economical as regards cost of installation and which may be easily and expeditiously assembled either in connection with newly constructed tanks or with those previously constructed and in use.

Tanks used for the storage of oil and other Volatile liquids are used extensively in various parts of the world having hot climates and by reason of this fact and the nature of the problem provisions against loss due to evaporation, and the damages incident thereto, have been very costly and ltroublesome. Also, under certain manufacturing conditions such tanks are unavoidably exposed to heat, either of a constant nature or of a variable nature. The latter condition is probably the more serious in that due to constant expansion and contraction, more or less localized, destructive forces are set up which tend to weaken the tank structure. Again, in tank farms where a large number of tanks are gathered rather closely together, provisions against re occurring in one tank and aiecting others nearby are particularly costly and troublesome. It is another object of my invention to provide insulation means ,of protecting storage tanks against h'eatand losses thereby, such means being peculiarly adapted for economical and expeditious installation, either withA tanksl which have been and are in use'or with those being newly erected.

It is the object of my invention to meet the requirements and conditions stated above by means of novel features which will be more fully understood from the following description and claims taken with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a typical installation of my invention applied to a covered tank;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along part of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 5 are modifications of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of a modification of my invention as applied to an open top tank; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged top view of the interlocked sections which comprise the outer wall structure 5 of my invention.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I have shown in Fig. 1 a storage tank I0 setting upon any suitable foundation II. The tank I0 is of the closed type in which provision is made for the removal of the gases of evaporation from the top by means of piping I2. 'I'he tank II) is enclosed in a reenforcing structure I3 that embodies my invention. The structure I3 comprises an outer wall constructed of a plurality of interlocking sections I4, an enlarged view of which is shown in Fig. 6, and a suitable roof I5. Bands I6 together with their attaching bolts I'I may or may not be used to form a finish and aligning means for the ends of interlocking sections I4. The bands I6 are not required for purposes of strength. v Any suitable standard interlocking sections I4 may be usedin constructing the embodiment of my invention but I prefer to use the type illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6. This type forms the subject matter of U. S. Patent No. 1,806,967, and of which patent I was a co-inventor. This type of interlocking section as clearly shown in Fig. 6 comprises a web portion I8 having inclined sides I9 and 20 each of which is flanged at its outer ends and is provided with a hook-like member 2I and a guard member 22, forming a pocket 23. This pocket 23 extends the full length of the section I4 and has a longitudinal opening 24 which is somewhat less in width than the greatest internal width of the pocket. The hook member 2I is provided with an elongated head 25, which is capable of being inserted in the end of the pocket 23 of an' adjoining section. This head 25 is of such a size that it cannot pass through the opening 24 and therefore the sectionsl4, 'after assemblyare retained against horizontal displacement. As each side of thesections I4 are provided with a pocket 23 and a head 25, a r double lock is obtained and therefore a very o strong joint is made between each of the various sections which when assembled completely surround the tank III.

The sections are assembled by placing the head 50 25 of each section into the end of the pocket 23 of the adjacent section and sliding one of the sections longitudinally into place, and continuing this procedure until the outer wall of the structure I3 is completed.

When the embodiment of my invention is primarily intended as a reenforcement with little regard for its insulating features I prefer to assemble the section I4 either as shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 5. As therein shown the sections I4 are so arranged that they make constantlyr recurring supporting contact with the tank I either by means of the iianged ends or by means of the web portions I8, and as each contact extends full length of the sections and the contacts are comparatively close together a very eicient supporting means is provided for the tank I0. It is true that even in the construction shown in Figs. 2 and considerable insulating eifect is provided, but Where insulation of the tank IU against heat is important I prefer to construct my device as shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3 the sections I4 forming the outer wall are spaced away from the tank I0 and all the resulting space between the encircling sections I4 and the tank Ill is lled with heat resisting or insulating material v26 such as asbestos fiber or the like. The insulating material 26 may be packed solidly or cast in place and thus act as an intermediate support between the tank and the outer wall structure. The space between the roof of the tank I0 and the roof I5 may also be filled with the same material 26.

The arrangement of the sections I4 shown in Fig. 3 is the same as that shown in Fig. 2. It is obvious that the arrangement of the sections I4 shown in` Fig. 5 may be insulated in the same way.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a tank 21 of the `open top type which may be either free of any covering or may be provided With a floating-top which floats upon the surface of the liquid contained within the tank. In such a tank (or other tanks for that matter) it may be unnecessary to carry the reenforcing structure 28 to the full height of the tank 27. I have shown therefore how my invention may be applied in such a case. The reenforcing structure 28 is comprised of the sections I4 and is assembled in the same manner, and may be insulated-or not, as hereinbefore described for the reenforcing structure I3 of Fig. l.

In order to dismantle the reenforcing structure it is only necessary to remove the roof and aligning bands, if used, and slide the sections I4 out of engagement with each other until all of the sections have been removed. The ease and expeditiousness with which my reenforcing structure may be assembled or dismantled makes it particularly useful Where it is necessary to move from one location to another as occasion demands.

While I have shown my invention in certain preferred forms it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of other changes and modications without departing from the spirit thereof and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon, as are imposed by the prior art, or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims. Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A liquid storage land tank structure comprising a tank having comparatively thin side walls, and an enclosing wall of interlocking rolled steel sheet piling in contact with said tank for the purpose of resisting distortion of said tank due to hydrostatic forces within said tank.

' 2. A liquid storage land tank structure comprising a tank having comparatively thin side Walls, and an enclosing wall of interlocking rolled steel sheet piling each pile of which is in contact with said tank for the purpose of resisting distortion of said tank due to hydrostatic forces within said tank.

3. A liquid storage land tank structure comprising a closed tank having comparatively thin side walls, an enclosing outer structure comprising a roof and an encircling wall of interlocking rolled steel sheet piling, and an insulating lling in the space between the tank and the outer structure whereby the said tank is supported against the action of hydrostatic forces within said tank.

4. A liquid storage land tank structure comprising a tank having comparatively thin side walls, and a plurality of vertically disposed longitudinal rolled metallic sections interlocked at their vertical edges, each section comprising integral interlocks along its vertical edges to form a closed wall for supporting said tank against the action of hydrostatic forces within said tank.

5. In a land tank structure for liquid storage purposes, the combination of vertically disposed, longitudinal metallic wall sections, each section comprising a web and diverging flanged sides, and locking members integral with the anges of said sides for interlocking said sections together to form a closed wall, and a liquid tight tank v enclosed by said closed Wall, the said tank having side walls weak with respect to hydrostatic forces within the tank, and the said side Walls being supported against said hydrostatic forces by each of said metallic Wall sections.

6. In a land tank structure for liquid storage purposes, the combination of vertically disposed, longitudinal metallic Wall sections, each section comprising a web and diverging flanged sides, and locking members integral with the flanges of said sides for interlocking said sections together to form a closed wall, and a liquid tight tank enclosed and supported by said closed wall, thereby providing a liquid storage space above ground Within said closed wall.

7 A land tank structure for liquid storage purposes, comprising a plurality of longitudinal rolled steel sections toy constitute a wall, each section comprising integral interlocks along its vertical edges and being slidably connected to the adjacent section and interlocked against lateral displacement with respect to one another, a liquid tight tank enclosed and supported by said wall, and a foundation supportingsaid Wall and said tank on or near the surface of the ground. Y

ROBERT S. A. DOUGI-IERTY. 

